Heart of Jainism

SR No.: 011099
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Mrs Sinclair Stevenson
Publisher: Mrs Sinclair Stevenson
Publication Year: 1915
Total Pages: 365
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 29 MB

Page 91

CHAPTER V HISTORY OF THE JAINA COMMUNITY
The Four Tirtha. DURING Mahāvira's lifetime he attracted a great number of disciples, both men and women, and from these grew the four orders of his community : monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen.
Chief amongst his followers were fourteen thousand Monks. monks (or muni) and at the head of these were eleven chief disciples or Ganadhara whom Jaina compare to the twelve disciples of our Lord, Gośāla the twelfth corresponding to Judas. Mahāvīra had seen in the case of Gośāla and others the special temptations and dangers which beset ascetics in their wandering life, and he resolved to combat these as well as he could by organization and regulations. He therefore divided his fourtcen thousand followers into nine regular schools called Gaņa and placed each school under the headship of one of his chief disciples or Ganadhara. The leading Ganadhara had five hundred monks under them, but some of the others had only three hundred or two hundred and fifty.
Gautama was at the head of a school of five hundred, and so were his brothers Agnibhūti and Vāyubhūti, his other brother Akampita ' being at the head of three hundred scholars.
Sudharma was at the head of another school of five hundred monks.
Only two of these eleven Gañadhara, Gautama and Sudharma, survived Mahāvira; the others attained Kevala jñāna and died of voluntary starvation at Rājagriha before their master's death.
1 The Sthānakavāsī Jaina do not believe that Akampita was the brother of Gautama; they think he was only a friend.